Injured military members find physical, mental benefits in adaptive athletics

Recreational and competitive opportunities available

by Sarah Eberspacher - Aug. 28, 2012 07:26 PMazcentral sports

Chris Clemens was serving in a support role for the U.S. Navy Seals overseas in 2004 when he suffered a traumatic brain injury. Seven years later, the veteran from Phoenix weighed 298 pounds and wasn't exercising at all.

"I was just taking one day at a time, just going through life," Clemens said.

He heard about a winter sports clinic sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and decided to try it out. Clemens was hooked after a week's worth of skiing, and his athletic life snowballed from there. In just over a year, he lost 100 pounds and qualified for the USA Paralympics track and field team. He will compete in the long jump, 100 meters and 200 meters when the Paralympic Games get under way in London starting today.

"Did I think I would be here, doing this, after my injury in 2004?" he said. "This wasn't even on the radar. But here I am, going to the 2012 Paralympic Games."

Not every disabled serviceman or woman who begins competing will one day make it to the Paralympics, although 20 of the elites competing in London starting this weekend are past or present military members. But there are a number of organizations working to introduce active and retired military individuals to adaptive sports at every skill level.

Among those is the U.S. Olympic Committee's Paralympics division.

"Obviously, the need for these programs increased beginning in 2003 and 2004," Charlie Huebner, chief of Paralympics for the USOC, said. "And no doubt, our military service members tend to be competitive. There's a number who want to represent their country at the Paralympic Games."

You may have seen Citi's commercial featuring military veteran Kari Miller. The double-leg amputee walks into a gymnasium and proceeds to take off her prosthetics for a sitting volleyball competition. The commercial ends with her tagline: "I'm still serving my country, I just wear a different uniform."

Miller's participation highlights the diverse nature of injured servicemen and women. Unlike Clemens, who sustained his injury while serving abroad, Miller lost her legs in a domestic car accident in 1990.

"(Miller) is a great ambassador in terms of enhancing awareness about the importance of these programs," Huebner said. "Whether the injury is sustained in service to your country or in a car accident, we're focused on building programs at the community level so active and veteran service members can live healthier, more productive lifestyles."

The Wounded Warrior Project does focus specifically on military personnel injured while serving; since its inception shortly after Sept. 11, 2011, more than 20,800 service members have participated in its programming. The adaptive athletics portion of the project has been slower to expand than some other support facets, though, which could be attributed to disengagement or depression, Jason Martinez, regional manager of physical health and wellness, said.

"These Warriors come back from their service, a lot of them are very apprehensive to come out and try new things," Martinez said. "It's important to get them out and involved and show them they're still capable of accomplishing new goals."

Often, competing in athletics just doesn't seem as important as other concerns following a life-altering injury, said Lane Jeppesen, executive director of Arizona Disabled Sports.

"They have other things to focus on, like their family or their job or just their life in general," Jeppesen said. "You don't say, 'Oh, I want to learn how to play basketball again.' You're focusing on re-learning basic life skills."

To that end, Jeppesen said ADS attempts to recruit injured service members, as they do not always independently seek out programs. Staff first spearheaded initiatives geared directly toward injured military personnel six years ago. Since that time, involvement has nearly doubled, though that still means just 10 to 12 service men and women participating in each military-specific sports clinic.

The physical benefits of getting involved in athletics are numerous, but just as important are the psychological gains said Paul Newhouse, professor of psychiatry and director of Vanderbilt University's Center for Cognitive Medicine.

Newhouse, a retired military officer, pointed to treatments developed by military psychiatrists in the 1940s to combat psychological breakdowns in injured soldiers as the genesis for modern-day stress treatment development.

"People have realized individuals who have been through medical or psychological traumas benefit from the re-development of self-confidence," Newhouse said. "These athletic endeavors and training programs are working toward the same principal: One of the best ways to help people recover a sense of confidence is to help them recover a sense of competence."

That was certainly the case for Clemens, who took his newfound athleticism from a recreational activity to a competitive career in a relatively short amount of time. His story might be the meteoric exception as opposed to the weekend-warrior rule, but his attitude about serving his country is one shared by many of his injured comrades, he said.

"I've worn a combative uniform, now I get to wear a track uniform," Clemens said. "This gives me the opportunity to serve my country in another way and continue to support the U.S. with my patriotism."